Comparison of obesity among Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes with intellectual disabilities.
U.S. Special Olympians with ID carry far more weight than Chinese peers, and the gap starts in childhood.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doughty et al. (2015) weighed Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disability.
They compared body mass index from the United States and from China.
All athletes were adults who trained and competed regularly.
What they found
U.S. athletes were two-and-a-half times more likely to be obese.
Age and country predicted weight status better than sport did.
Even active adults with ID showed a clear country gap.
How this fits with other research
Lloyd et al. (2012) saw the same North-south split in youth.
Their global sample also found the highest rates in North American girls.
Yuan et al. (2021) later showed the problem starts early in China.
One third of Chinese students with ID were already overweight or obese.
Together the papers trace a rising curve from school age to Special Olympics.
Why it matters
If you coach or support adults with ID, check BMI at intake.
Use the country difference as a red flag, not an excuse.
Pair training schedules with simple food logging and portion cues.
A five-minute weigh-in can prevent years of obesity-linked illness.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a health problem in China, but there are no reports on the obesity status of Chinese citizens with intellectual disabilities (ID). Research has shown that adults with ID have higher body mass index (BMI) than adults without ID, but this information is primarily based on populations residing in North American and European countries. The purpose of this study was to compare BMI and obesity status of Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes with ID. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Height, weight, BMI and self-reported physical activity (SRPA) data from the Special Olympics 2006 U.S. National Games and 2007 Shanghai World Games databases were analyzed. Linear and logistic analyses were conducted for continuous data and dichotomous variables, respectively. Predictor variables were age, gender, country, SRPA, and obesity status according to country specific criteria. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The U.S. group had significantly higher BMI values than their Chinese counterparts. Age (p = 0.001) and country (p = <0.001) were the main predictors of BMI and obesity status, even when country-specific standards of obesity classifications were used. Holding all other factors constant, each unit increase of age was associated with increased odds for obesity by a factor of 1.04 and the odds of obesity occurring in U.S. athletes was 2.47 times greater than in Chinese athletes. CONCLUSION: Obesity is an emerging health problem for Chinese adults with ID. Participation in Special Olympics does not offset obesity in people with ID and other methods of intervention are needed to address obesity in this population segment. This is a global health concern that requires immediate attention.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.05.005